the Lord saw it, he abhorred them, because of the provoking of his sons and daughters." The sins of the wicked anger God ; the sins of his own people gi-ieve him ; he will be sure to punish them, Amos iii. 2. " You only have I known of .-ill the families of the earth ; therefore will I punish you for all your iniquities." O that our her^d were waters, that we could make this place a Bochim, a place of weepers, that God's chil- dren might mix blushing with tears that they have so little hallowed, and so much eclipsed God's name ! Truly God's own people have sinned enough to justify God in all his severe actings against them !
Use 3d. Of exhortation. Let us hallow and sanctify God's name. Did we but see a glim])se of God's glory, as Moses did in the rock, the sight of this would draw ado- ration and praise from us. Could we see " God face to face," as the angels in heaven do, — could we behold him sitting on his throne like a jasper-stone. Rev. iv. 10., — we should presently, at the sight of his glory, do as the twenty-four elders, Rev. iv. 10, 11., " They worship him that livcth for ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, ' Thou art worthy, O Lord, to re- ceive glorj^ honour and power !'" That we may be stirred up to this great duty, the hallowing, adoring and sanctifying God's name, consider,
1. It is the very end of our being. Why did God give us our life, but that our living may be an hallowing of his name ? Why did he give us souls but to admire him; and tongues, but to praise him ? The excel- lency of a thing is, when it attains the end for which it was made ; the excellency of a star is to give light, of a plant to be fruit ful ; the excellency of a Christian, is to an- swer the end of liis creation, which is to hallow God's name, and live to that God by whom he lives. He who lives, and God hath no honour by him, buries himself a- live, and cxj)oseth himself to a curse. Christ cursed the barren fig-tree.
OF THE FIRST PETITION iN THE LORD'S PRAYER.
US
2. God's name is so excellent that it fle- gervcs to he hallowed, Ps. viii. 1)., " How excollcut is thy name in all the earth !" Ps. <'\v. 1., "Tlion art clothed with honour and niajesty." As the siui hath its l)ri;L]:ht- ness, wlietlier we admire it or not, so God's name is illustrious and plorious wlietlier we hallow it or not. In God arc all shininir peifV'ctions, holiness, wisdom, mercy ; " he is v.-orthy to be ])raised," 2 Sam. xxii. 4. God is (li;:^n>fs lionorr, — worthy of honour, love, adoration. We oft bestow titles of honour upon them that do not deserve (hem; but God is worthy to be praised; his name deserves hallowincj ; he is above all the honour and praise which the angels in heaven give him.
3. We pray, " hallowed be thy name :" that is, let thy name be honoured and mag- nified by us. Now, if we do not magnify his name, we contradict our own prayers : to say, " hallowed be thy name," yet not to bring honour to God's name, is to take his name in vain.
4. Such as do not hallow God's name, and bring revenues of honour to him, God will get his honour u])on them, Exod. xiv. IT., " I will get me honour uj)on Pharaoh." Pharaoh would not hallow God's name ; " AVho is the Lord, that I should obey him ?" Well, saith God, if Pharaoh will not honour me, I will get me honour nj)on him. When God overthrew him and his chariots in the sea, then he got his honour upon him ; God's ]iower and justice were glorified in his des- truction. There are some whom God hath raised to great power and dignity, and they will not honour God's name, — they make use of their power to dishonour God, — they cast reproach upon Cod's name, and revile his servants : well, they who will not ho- nour God, he will get his honour upon them in their final ruin. Herod did not give glory to God, and God did get his glory n- pon Inm, Acts xii. 23., " The angel of the Lord smote him because he gave not God the glory, and he was eaten of worms."
5. It will be no small comfort to us wdien we come to die that we have hallowed and sanctified God's name ; it was Christ's com- fort a little before his death, John xvii. 4., " I have glorified thee on the earth." Chriiit's redeeming mankind was an hallow-